Business and technology are powerful forces which have shaped – and continue to reshape – each other and the world in which we live. This series of five workshops brings together business leaders, technologists, and academics to consider, from a Christian perspective, the systemic issues facing business in light of technological advances, and the challenges and opportunities arising from these.

This fourth session will consider how technology is reshaping the structure of business, what the consequences of that are, and how we can engage Christianly in this milieu.

Technology is changing how business can be done, and what business can be done. These changes will necessarily disrupt business models at every level, transforming the business landscape. The changes being wrought are not simple or unidirectional. On the one hand, technology is a democratizing force; putting unprecedented power in the hands of individuals (almost anyone can write an app, or make a film). On the other hand, it is a monopolizing force; concentrating unprecedented power in the hands of a few mega-organizations (Google, Amazon, Monsanto). This ambivalent trend can happen simultaneously, and within the same company (eBay is a big company that helps individuals buy and sell).
How can Christians involved in this milieu be aware of, understand, and engage with the issues: the opportunities and problems associated with concentration of power, diffusion of power, or changing of how power is distributed.

About the speakers

Peter LIU received his PhD in engineering from McMaster University, Canada, specializing in Optimization. He was a member of Scientific Staff with the research arm of Nortel in Quebec and in Silicon Valley, California, where he contributed to industrial and communication standards for protocols and human factors in communication. He co-founded a communication equipment design company in the Hsinchu Science Park in Taiwan before returning to Hong Kong to join the Hong Kong Polytechnic University as an Associate Professor, where led the communication research group in the Electronic Engineering Department. He then moved on to become the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of ASM Pacific Technology, where he continues to serve as industry-university liaison. In parallel with this he has acted as interim Executive Director of The Oaks Ltd, a non-profit organization for training and mentoring Small and Medium Enterprises owners and executives, and held the post of Vice Dean of Peter F. Drucker Academy responsible for curriculum and staff development.

Tse “T.” FUNG WONG is the co-founder and CEO of EdFuture and e2Sports. Prior to this he has been an international financial services executive with extensive strategy and execution experience leading initiatives in the USA, China, and Hong Kong for major global financial giants such as UBS Asset Management, JPMorgan Asset Management, JPMorgan Chase Bank China, and Aegon USA. T. holds a BA in Diplomacy & World Affairs from Occidental College in Los Angeles, and an MBA in Computer Information Systems from Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, City University of New York. He has lived and worked in major metropolitan cities and financial centres including New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. In addition to English, T. is fluent in Cantonese Chinese and Mandarin Chinese, and proficient in Japanese and Spanish.

Video of the talks.

Other Sessions

8th Dec. 2018: Consumerism and Growth

19th Jan. 2019: Disruption of Technology

16th Feb. 2019: Moving Beyond Zero Impact

16th Mar. 2019: Technology and the Global Order of Business

27th Apr. 2019: Un-commodifying the World See the event’s gallery.